Supervised by Dr. Roquia Begum

Abstract

The present study w as attempted to assess the nature o f behavior problems o f children o f sex workers by using the Bengali version o f the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). To investigate the behavior problems o f children o f sex workers 200 (94 boys and 106 girls) were taken as the sample. O f the total sample 75 (35 boys and 40 girls) were brothel children, 61 (24 boys and 37 girls) were institutionalized children o f brothel based sex workers and 64 (35 boys and 29 girls) were institutionalized children of street based sex workers. T heir age ranged from 6 to below 12 years. Children were divided into three age groups according to their age. Results show ed that overall 53.55% children o f sex workers have behavior problems in the clinical range. It was found that 55.3% o f boys and 51.9% o f girls have behavior problems in the clinical range. Behavior problems were found higher in children o f 10 years to below 12 years (56.9% ) and 8 years to below 10 years (56.9% ) age group than those o f 6 years to below 8 (47.1% ) years age group. Children o f brothel (62.7%) have higher behavior problems than institutionalized children of brothel based (44.3%) and street based (51.6%) sex workers. Total behavior problem scores did not vary as a function o f sex and age. Type o f children had significant effect on the behavior problem score. Significant effect was also found between the interaction o f age and type o f children. No significant interactions were found betw een sex and age, and sex and type, and sex, age and type o f children. Out o f total 118 specific individual items o f the CBCL, significant sex differences were found on 26 (22.03% ) items and age differences were found on 21 (17.80%) items. Significant differences were also found am ong three types o f sex w orker’s children on 79 (66.95%) items o f the C BCL. Behavior problem scores differed significantly on total internalizing and total externalizing scales and on depressed, somatic complaints, delinquent, aggressive subscales o f the CBCL among three types of boys. However, total behavior problem sores o f three types of boys were not significant. Significant differences were not found among three types of girls on IV Deltin 7 Deltin 7 Aviator গেম টাকা ইনকাম Institutional Repository total internalizing and total externalizing scales but they differed significantly on depressed, somatic com plaints subscales o f the CBC L. Total behavior problem scores o f three types o f girls were also found significant. On total internalizing scales and on subscale of uncom m unicative, som atic complaints boys o f three age groups were differed significantly. On total internalizing and total externalizing scales o f the CBCL girls of three age groups were found to be insignificant but significant differences were found on schizoid-obsessive, delinquent, aggressive subscales o f the CBCL. On total behavior problem scores o f the C B C L boys and girls o f three age groups did not vary significantly. K now ledge o f m o th er’s status and duration o f stay at the institution had no significant effect on the behavior problem scores o f the children o f sex workers. The findings o f the present research indicate that the children of sex workers suffer from different types o f behavior problems and a large percentage o f children have behavior problem s in the clinical range. Therefore, necessary steps should be taken to remove those problems. Further research with larger sample is suggested to understand the nature o f behavior problem s o f children o f sex workers.